Shoot Me Down
by kamenbutoukai
Summary: Between love and duty, an undercover agent finds herself caught in a dangerous game between three notorious gang leaders of Konoha. Alternate universe. Genma.Kakashi.Asuma.x.Kurenai.
1. Jobun: Introduction

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Summary**: Between love and duty, an undercover agent finds herself caught in a dangerous game between three notorious gang leaders of Konoha. Alternate universe.

Kakashi. Asuma. Genma. x Kurenai.

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**Shoot Me Down**

**By: kamenbutoukai**

**Chapter 1 - Introduction / Jobun**

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Operation Kaxoe: 23 hours 54 minutes

Teenage girls. There were all various sizes of them: short, tall, thin, big. Each of them were squealing like infuriating parrots, and giving each other flattery remarks about their skimpy dresses and styled hair.

The majority of them were high school girls, but great amounts of cleavage and skin was there for the whole world to observe, especially with the enlightening tops and petite skirts they adorned.

Outside the broken windows, there were men steering boats with additional girls sitting in them. Young females were being led into the room, which meant more squealing and chatter.

Her crimson eyes glanced at the men positioned in front of each exit. A foul smell came in contact with her nose, and squeaking rats crawled around the diminutive area she sat. The incessant babble of teenage girls continuously rang in her head, which gradually began to irritate her.

The conditions of this assignment were really repulsive to her, but barfing over the place wasn't such a fine idea at the moment.

Wearing a flimsy top and awfully high heels pissed the crap out of her too, which made it even more complicated to concentrate. She was dressed in an overly tight cerise shirt that seemed to compliment her curves, but it was still very difficult to breathe in.

Her shoulder blades were bare, and intricate knots of strings held the lower back of the shirt together. The cut in front of the shirt went all the way down to beneath her breasts, revealing more amounts of cleavage than she was used to. One sleeve stopped a quarter from her wrist, while the other went past her hand about an inch.

She resisted the urge to scratch her leg because of the prickly, sheer fabric, which was supposedly called a _skirt_. Her black _skirt_ was made of a scratchy material that was so thin; it could almost be seen through. It ran on an angle from her left mid-thigh and stopped from just above her right knee.

The black heels were supported with a thin 3 inch stick, and it looked like it was about to snap any second.

Her usual, untamed black tresses were straightened and were pulled into a high ponytail with a mass of long hair pulled over half her face.

Her height differed immensely from the other girls, since she stood 5"7, and they all stood about an average of 5"3. They questioned whether she was really a teenager or not, but by observing her young look, they'd rather not judge her.

She was examined every single detail of the room and its occupants.

Half the guards looked rather sleepy, and the other half looked prepared to bite the girls' heads off.

Her thoughts were interrupted when an indistinct voice came from her earpiece.

"Any sight of Tanaka or Hiro yet?"

She discreetly looked around to see if anyone was watching or listening. She bent down to her bag and pretended that she was getting something, and then pulled her wrist up to her lips.

"No...Haven't seen them since I got here," she whispered

"Keep an eye out for them, Kurenai...They are dangerous men...non-sexy ones too."

Kurenai rolled her eyes, and a simple word ran through her head. _No duh._

"That's all you care about Anko."

"I know! And since they are not sexy, hurry up and finish the assignment, damn it! I'm hungry…"

She suddenly felt something sit next to her and sweep against her shoulder. Kurenai swiftly pulled out a make-up compact and dropped her wrist.

In a single movement, the compact was open, and Kurenai started to paint her skin with fresh make up. The grimace on her face was slowly noticeable as she applied each layer onto her face.

Kurenai stopped her actions to glance at the person seated beside her.

It was a teenage girl with a brunette head and thick curls. She was dressed in a vivid, cherry tube top that could have corrupted the pupils of Kurenai's eyes, and a pair of white, low jeans that exposed a purple thong uprising her back.

Kurenai almost winced at the girl. When she was in high school, girls back then had at least **some** dignity...

She looked up to see the Barbie look-alike watching her every movement. Her sapphire eyes scrutinized at Kurenai, as if she was some kind of freakish microorganism in front of the girl's face.

The girl gazed Kurenai from top to bottom and then raised an eyebrow.

"You're not really a teenager, are you?" she asked with huge suspicion. Her eyes were round as if she was trying to be intimidating.

Kurenai was taken aback. What the hell was that supposed to mean? And how the hell was she supposed to answer!

She straightened her back and gave the girl a fussy look.

"Of course I am! What makes you think so?" Kurenai gave a forced giggle and waved her hand.

"You seem too tall for a teenager, and you look a little too mature," she replied with a finger point.

Kurenai laughed loudly and pretended to blush.

"Some girls grow faster than average, you know. For example, there is a huge difference in our chest sizes," Kurenai said gesturing to the girl's chest, and then to Kurenai's chest.

Her azure eyes widened with outrage, and she sneered at Kurenai. She spun her face, so it faced the opposite direction.

Kurenai smirked, knowing she hit a soft spot. Most girls these days were too concerned about their body sizes.

The discussions of teenage girls revived her headache, and Kurenai was ready to punch the intelligence out of them. Her hand balled into fists and her teeth clenched.

_'Relax...calm down..._' she thought.

She took a deep breath, and then exhaled.

"Stupid girls. This ain't a party," the brunette girl grumbled. "They're chattering like it's a celebration when the boss is shipping us off to some weird country!"

It took a minute for Kurenai to comprehend that she was talking to her.

"Cut the crap. You thought it'd be like plumbing toilets? You thought wrong, girly," Kurenai responded.

The girl appeared shocked by her sudden change in attitude and turned her anger into painting nails with hot pink polish.

At that moment, a party of men sauntered into the room, and the mass of girls turned their babble into stillness. Every pair of eyes watched the men's movements as if they were going to pull a shooting on them all.

The leader was a conceited looking man who had tattoos all over his face. He wore a white suit and luxurious jewelry around his neck.

There was another man with him who looked to be another leader. His locks were dyed amethyst, which were wedged out into several directions. There were at least ten piercings in his face and many rings adorned his fingers.

The men following them looked around the room and smirked at the vast quantity of high school girls. Each of them looked like fighters, but they seemed more brawn than brain.

"So what do you think of these hot chicks?" Tattoo-face asked.

"Not bad...I'll buy them from you for $10,000 USD," replied Pierced-face.

Tattoo-face shook his head and placed his left hand on Pierced-face's shoulder.

"Come on Hiro, there's at least two hundred girls from all over Japan here...why not $20,000 USD?" asked Tattoo-face. He started laughing.

"Fine. But they better be good quality Tanaka, or I'll come after you..." Hiro started laughing at the dark hilarity he created.

Tanaka abruptly gave a grave expression and nodded to his men.

"Okay ladies, we're going to be shipping you to America," announced one of the men. "And don't worry; you'll get your money soon."

The girls broke into chatters of excitement and glee.

The men started guiding the girls out of the room, when all of a sudden, a bullet sound shot through the atmosphere.

The entire room ducked onto the dirty, tiled floor.

A slender figure jumped on top of a wooden box and pointed a revolver towards the cluster of men. They were only a few metres apart, but the group looked unfazed by the gun.

"Mitoshi Tanaka. Kurami Hiro. You are both under arrest for human traffic and suspected murder."

The voice was spoken in a low octave and it sounded strictly professional.

Tanaka sneered at the female with the gun in hand, which was pointed specifically at him. She looked pathetic. She was a woman, not a hazard whatsoever.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, looking unaffected by the gun.

The woman narrowed her scarlet eyes at both Tanaka and Hiro. They were just unintelligent, dim-witted, brainless assholes who wanted to make money by selling women.

"Who the do you think I am? I'm a cop," she retorted in a venomous tone.

Hiro stared at her, and then laughed.

"Stop playing games. We have about five men on our side. You have yourself. You think you got a chance?" Hiro hollered.

Kurenai smirked and aimed her gun at Hiro.

"Don't underestimate me, jackass."

"Bitch! How do you think you're going to beat us?"

She shot at their feet, which made them take a step back. When they looked up, she was no longer there.

"Just like this."

Kurenai kicked the two leaders behind their knees and they broke down to the ground.

Before the men could act in response, she placed handcuffs on Tanaka and Hiro, and pointed the gun at the followers.

Suddenly, Konoha agents dashed into the room and started yelling at them to put their hands up.

All the men put their hands up instantly in surrender, and the teenage girls broke into tears after the fearful incident.

Both the men and their followers were escorted to police cars, and all the teenage girls were put into trucks back to the police station.

Kurenai positioned her back against the brick wall and exhaled.

'_Man, that was simple as nothing.'_

The winter chill brought goose bumps on her skin, especially since her attire was certainly not appropriate for the seasonal conditions.

"Yuuhi, Morino and Tsunade want you back after an hour. You got a new assignment."

Kurenai gave an idle gaze to the person and sighed

"I just finished one, Mitarashi. Don't you think they should give me break?" Kurenai asked.

"Perhaps you should provide them with some shit about it. They're in a conference right now regarding your new assignment."

Anko's laugh resonated throughout their surroundings and rang in Kurenai's eardrums.

Kurenai and Anko became close friends since Kurenai joined the Konoha agent squad.

Anko was a genuine, wicked woman then, but she was a reliable agent, one of Konoha's best.

She was overly energetic and had high tolerance for alcohol, but she managed to cheer Kurenai up from the hardships of being an agent.

Anko slapped Kurenai on the back and threw her head up to chuckle.

"We should go out the bar to celebrate!" she screamed.

Kurenai gave a soft smile and shook her head.

"No thanks, I think I'll go see what mission they have for me."

"Suit yourself. But I think this one is going to be a real pain in the ass."

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was rather bland and boring. But an introduction is quite important, right?

**Constructive criticism**, suggestions and reviews are highly appreciated!


	2. Fushigi: Mysterious

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Summary**: Between love and duty, an undercover agent finds herself caught in a dangerous game between three notorious gang leaders of Konoha. Alternate universe.

Kakashi. Asuma. Genma. x Kurenai.

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**Shoot Me Down**

**By: kamenbutoukai**

**Chapter 2 - Mysterious / Fushigi**

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Kurenai pulled her black sports car into her parking space at headquarters. She changed into her usual attire of a tight long-sleeved, ruby shirt and dark, shapeless pants. Her black sneakers were untied, and her charcoal, layered hair was no longer straight, but messy and uncontrolled. The cosmetics were removed, which gave her the natural appearance she wore for the past eleven years.

Kurenai jogged to the front entrance and gave her report about the successful mission to the front desk.

She walked to the right and slid a card into the security device. The scarlet-eyed woman continued down the corridor until she reached the only remaining door on the left.

Cameras enveloped the passageway and they were all directing their lens at her.

Taking no notice of them, Kurenai knocked three times and entered herself in.

She leisurely closed the door and turned around to make eye contact with her two bosses, Morino Ibiki and Tsunade-hime.

Ibiki sported a black bandanna over his bald head. Everyone knew, however, that there were several rough scars advanced across his scalp because of some gangster he was trying to fight.

There was a scar on the right side of his face, which ran from his underneath his eye to beneath his ear. Another streak progressed from his left eye, past his mouth, and stopped at the bottom of his lip.

His tall stature was constantly covered with a thick, black trench coat, even on the hot days of summer, and extra heavy army boots.

His face expressions were always bitter and somber. If he ever truly laughed, it would have horrified the lights out of anyone who witnessed that moment, even if he was a thirty-two year old.

Morino Ibiki had a sense of dark humor, however. He'd joke about how he would torture a convict to the max until he got what information he wanted, since his job was frequently to interrogate the prisoners.

Naturally, no one wanted to listen to what he would specifically do to the captive, so no one ever asked how severe his ordeal would go.

His threatening presence just screamed, "Talk or I'll gouge your eyes out." Morino Ibiki was capable of doing that if he really had the desire to do so.

Another highly regarded person within the Konoha agent squad would be Tsunade. She was physically powerful, and she was an influential communicator between the government and the squad.

She sat on the right side of the table with a fist supporting her chin. Her tan eyes appeared indolent, and her flaxen hair was always tied back into two low ponytails.

Tsunade was particularly legendary with the men because of her enormous chest size and her everlasting cravings for alcohol. Without a doubt, there was a cup of sake enclosed in her hand at that moment.

She adorned a beige Japanese top, which resembled a kimono, and a black band of fabric held it together. Large amounts of cleavage were still in sight, however. A pair of small shorts covered little of her legs, which exposed her bare, smooth skin. Her high heels completed the look that made virtually every man go mad.

Despite her look as a thirty year old, Maito Gai secretly told Kurenai that she was a fifty year old.

Speaking of Gai...well there wasn't much to say about Gai, except for that fact that he was deeply optimistic about his job...He went to the extremes for about just anything. If he failed a mission, he would do all these crazy things, such as running around the city or doing one hundred finger push-ups.

He was always dressed in...a freakish spandex, green suit with yellow leg warmers. He also wore a red belt and a bowl, mushroom hair cut that looked like a slippery wig.

Gai had this...peculiar smile that made everyone shudder each time they see it. His bleached teeth was so dazzling, it could have flashed the life out of the people. It went 'PING!' each time he exploded a grin on his face. And his 'good guy' pose was ridiculous, which was integrated with a thumbs-up sign and a wink of an eye.

Despite the overall eccentricity that came from Gai's behaviour, he was an exceedingly reliable agent who always got the job done.

He was recognized for his outstanding speed, and of course for his smile that went 'PING!'

It was awkward to believe that he was twenty-five, the same age as Kurenai.

The last two occupants of the room were Nara Shikamaru and Gekkou Hayate, the two youngest agents within the squad.

Nara Shikamaru was a mastermind with an IQ over two hundred.

In reality, he was forced to become a member of the Konoha agent squad because he hacked into the system and stole massive amounts of information about the agents. But he thought it was a decent idea to join because he had nothing else to do with life, since it was too troublesome for him to actually search for employment.

Shikamaru was a seventeen year old teenage living through serious issues with life. His parents passed away when he was a child, and graduating from high school was not really a significant event for Shikamaru.

He was an intellectual kid, but he thought everything as 'too troublesome.' Even at this moment, he was sound asleep with saliva creating a minor puddle on the table.

Kurenai thought that his hair bore a resemblance to a pineapple, and he always had this scowl on his face. Shikamaru was the most nonchalant agent she ever been acquainted with.

He wore a loose, light green t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. His feet were covered with tan boots that banged against the floor every time he moved.

As Kurenai observed him, he twitched between times and groaned about how 'this was too troublesome.'

Gekkou Hayate could be seen as equally relaxed...just a little more contagious. Hayate seemed to have some kind of illness that could never be cured.

His eyes had black bags underneath, and his face was nauseatingly colorless

Kurenai has known him for at least two years now, and seeing him coughing was a regular occurrence throughout the times she worked with him.

Hayate was just three years younger than Kurenai, but he was still simply two inches shorter than her. He had hair that was shaggy and brown, which reached just above his shoulders.

Hayate was dressed in a pair of casual jeans and a loose Nike shirt. He pulled a black cap over his hair and coughed a few more times.

Kurenai noiselessly bowed to them and took the seat next to Hayate, who was sitting on the left side of the oak table.

Hayate acknowledged her presence by nodding his head and giving a subtle grin. Seconds later, he broke into a fit of coughs. He swiftly bent down and covered his mouth with a fist.

"Yuuhi, I believe Mitarashi has already told you that I'm going to be giving you a new assignment."

Kurenai gazed at Ibiki's eyes and couldn't help but shudder just a little bit because of the strength of his gaze. She kept her impassive face in place, nonetheless.

"About that...I was wondering if you could perhaps give it to Anko. I just finished one, and I think I deserve at least a break," Kurenai said. Her voice was rather hushed, and it seemed not as confident.

Tsunade raised a delicate eyebrow and swirled her sake cup before taking a sip.

"Gotta take a holiday with a hot boyfriend?" she asked mischievously.

Kurenai felt a rush of blood come up to her cheeks, which she fought down miraculously.

She slapped her hands onto the table and pointed a finger at Tsunade.

"I don't have a boyfriend and you know it! I just want a break from this agent business since you guys keep giving me this shit about undercover crap!"

Kurenai took a deep breath and slumped back into her chair.

Shikamaru and Hayate exchanged amused looks, and Ibiki's forehead had numerous creases.

Ibiki wordlessly took a laptop from his briefcase and set it on top of the table. He typed in a few passwords and slid the electronic in front of Kurenai.

"I don't give a fuck about your need for a vacation. Right now, you have a duty to carry out, and I expect you to finish it." he ordered in a solemn voice.

Hayate coughed a few more times, then rested his head on his arms, which were placed on the table.

"I think Kurenai is right. You've been making her work non-stop for the past six months. Maybe you should hand the task over to Anko. All she's been doing is drinking beer using money that is supposed to be used for weaponry."

Hayate spoke for the first time, and his voice sounded hoarse and raspy.

Shikamaru looked out the window and exhaled noisily.

"Anko is too troublesome. In a mission, she creates problems that are more troublesome than herself. I think this entire mission is troublesome."

"I agree…about the Anko stuff. Mitarashi is too...out of control. She generates danger not only for her own well-being, but for the communities of Konoha," said Tsunade.

She turned her back against them. "I don't trust her enough."

"Anko would be brilliant for the job! Her flames of youth are BLAZING, DAMN IT! It should keep burning! Like the vigorous fire of a phoenix!" Gai stood up with 'flames' in his eyes and in his 'good guy' pose.

Everyone sweat dropped with exception of Ibiki.

"No, this is Kurenai's mission and my decision is final," he said. "Look at the screen."

Kurenai turned her attention to the screen, which read three names.

'Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma and Shiranui Genma...?'

She looked at Ibiki with a bewildered expression.

"I don't know who these people are."

"There are three gangs within the city of Konoha who have influenced the ways of the citizens. Just yesterday, they merged to become a single gang to rule all of Konoha. The odd thing is that they don't have a gang name. We call them the Unknown, nonetheless."

Morino cast a side glance in the direction of Kurenai.

"Your job is to go undercover as a waitress in the tavern that only they have admittance. Find out what their intentions are in becoming a solitary gang. As soon as you can acquire their trust, obtain as much information as possible."

"I'm concerned though. If these three men are the ones who have affected Konoha, doesn't that mean that cough they are tremendously dangerous?" asked Hayate.

"To the max. If they all united, there is a substantial increase in how much they can do," replied Shikamaru with a slight frown. "They are quite troublesome if you ask me."

Kurenai knit her eyebrows together as if she was trying to figure out the answer to a brain teaser.

"Why me though? Why not any other agent who is actually willing to accept this mission?"

"Because Kurenai, me and Morino trust you. We believe that using a woman would be better to gain the trust of these leaders, and you have more skill as an undercover than most of the other agents here," Tsunade responded.

"Your job is on it. If you don't agree to do this, then you will return your badge to me and walk out that door as a coward. Or you can accept this mission with dignity," Ibiki said.

He always had a way to manipulate people's minds. **WRONG!** He likes to blackmail.

Kurenai pursed her lips, and then finally gave in.

"Fine...I'll do it. But you guys better give me a long ass vacation after this!"

"That's the determination Yuuhi-san! Let your youthfulness finally kick in! YOSH!"

Once again, everyone, apart from Ibiki, sweat dropped at Gai.

"Morino-san and Tsunade-san won't be here for a while; they have to go negotiate with the government in order to accept new agents. Gai has a mission in Korea...-cough- but me and Shikamaru will be here to help you," Hayate said. "Shikamaru is in charge of all the cameras and mouthpieces in the bar, and I'm here to back you up if you need any help."

Kurenai nodded in understanding.

"That's…spanking."

Tsunade gave her a folder which had the words "confidential" written with big, bold letters.

"This has the information you require to know about the assignment and the three gang leaders. It will have your false past history and identity," she explained. "There are no images of the three you're in search of, but we know where to find them."

"Remember your training and keep your head up. This meeting is dismissed."

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Kurenai pushed on the gas petal after the lights switched to green. She felt extremely frazzled and jittery at the moment.

'I have to go undercover again? This SUCKS!' she mentally screamed.

'And I have to become a supposed friend with THREE gang leader...THREE, DAMN IT! Gang leaders are morons...They are overconfident men, who have massive egos. They think they are so cool with their big guns and --- crap...I have no dinner tonight...'

Kurenai turned sharply into the convenience store and parked her car. When she got out, Kurenai thought she caught a glimpse of a brown haired man walking into the store.

'Who's out at this hour...besides me?' she thought. Kurenai looked at her watch, which read '12:16am.' When she looked back up, he was no longer there.

'Maybe it's just my imagination...'

Kurenai shrugged and walked into the store with her folder in hand.

She selected about 3 pasta dinner boxes and a small number of cans of pop.

When she got out the convenience store, Kurenai became aware of the minor raindrops trickling onto her head. Then it abruptly rain heavily, making her clothes cling to her skin.

Placing the folder underneath her shirt, Kurenai hurried to her car and reached into her pockets to get her keys.

She felt no coldness of the metal in her fingers, nor did she hear the jingle keys made when they clash against each other. There was nothing in the pocket.

Kurenai's eyes widened as she peered into her car. Her keys were in the car!

"Excellent…I'm locked out of my own car, the only spare key is at my house, and it's pouring buckets out here..."

Kurenai abandoned her grocery bag and the folder on the cement ground, and cursed at the sky with fists pointing upwards. She could no longer control the anger that was held in her a few hours prior to the meeting.

After making her voice hoarse from all the screaming, Kurenai bent down to pick up her belongings. But unexpectedly, it was no longer raining. She tilted her head in puzzlement when she noticed that it was still raining...but not on top of her.

The only thing on her...was a silhouette.

Kurenai raised her body to collide with the brown-haired man she saw previously.

She gazed in his idle, chestnut eyes, which held concealed amusement in them. There was grin playing on his lips, and some sort of a pointed, sharp object sticking out of his mouth. He wore a black headband over his shoulder-length caramel locks. His body adorned a shady leather jacket with loose-fitting jeans.

She became aware that they were standing almost the same height, but he was just a few inches taller. Kurenai also noticed the close proximity between their bodies.

In the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of his arm holding up an umbrella, shielding her from the cold rain.

Kurenai looked back at his face with slight uneasiness. She faced the ground and bowed a little bit.

"Umm...thank you..." Her voice was raspy from the prior screaming.

"No need to thank, just helpin' out a beautiful lady such as yourself."

His voice was like a silk sheet binding every inch of her body.

The mysterious man grasped Kurenai's hand and enclosed her fingers onto the handle of the umbrella. He took her left hand and placed a delicate kiss on it, then vanished into the drizzling darkness.

Kurenai blinked a few times before digesting what actually happened to her.

Some stranger gave her an umbrella and kissed her hand!

She gazed up to the sky, which was pouring its tears out, before heading out home in stunned silence.

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As she took paced steps into her residence, Kurenai felt rather animated inside.

The last time she felt like an actual young woman was in tenth grade during high school

'Too many bad experiences...' she thought. Kurenai hasn't fallen out of the tomboy chapter yet, and it was awkward to believe that she has hit the bottom just because of a kiss!

Kurenai flushed. The warmth of the stranger's hand remained on hers.

The rain pounded onto her window harder than ever, and the wind swayed the trees in her backyard back and forth.

She put the spare key to her home back to it place. Kurenai set one of the dinner boxes in her microwave and opened a pop can. She looked out the window as she took a sip, and the red traffic light glared at her.

She turned to face the kitchen table. Her folder of information was placed in the middle of the candles surrounding it. As she walked towards, all the electricity lights unexpectedly went out, and the room went pitch black.

Kurenai kept calm as she moved her hands against the table to look for the candles. When she finally got a hold of then, lit them and opened the folder.

**Yuuhi Kurenai,**

**-Go undercover as a waitress at the exclusive bar called "The Cell." **

**-Obtain information on the whole gang, particularly the three leaders**

**-Gain their trust**

**Alias**

**Name: Kurenai Yue**

**Age: 25**

**Education: Graduated from Konoha University with average marks**

**Family: Parents deceased at the age of 11, no siblings or relatives**

**Past: Has been living with a foster parent who got into a car accident at the age of 19, lived alone since**

**Former Job: waitress at Sushi Restaurant**

**New residence: Apartment 3 on Main Street **

**Do not bring possessions from your 'former life,' new belongings are already set in the new apartment.**

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**Objectives**

**Name: Sarutobi Asuma**

**Age: 26**

**Height: 6"3**

**Weight: 180 lbs**

**Blood type: O**

**Birthday: October 18**

**Description: spiked brown hair, dark brown eyes**

**Known for: Knuckle knives**

**Past: Not available**

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**Name: Shiranui Genma**

**Age: 27**

**Height: 5"11**

**Weight: 157 lbs**

**Blood type: A**

**Birthday: July 17**

**Description: shoulder-length brown hair, hazel eyes**

**Known for: the use of sharp weapons, mainly senbons**

**Past: Not available**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Name: Hatake Kakashi**

_BEEP! BEEP!_

The sound of a truck made Kurenai jump from her chair and drop the folder onto the floor. Her heart raced as she regained her relaxed composure.

She examined outside the window to see what was currently occurring on the street.

Across the road, Kurenai saw a man commencing his path to cross.

His backside crouched over just a bit, and silvery tresses bent over his face, which was facing the ground. He was dressed in a long trench coat that reached the ground, and a pair of black cargo pants. The person had difficulty standing up, and his right hand was pressed against his ribs. His left hand held onto the pole for support.

Kurenai scrutinized her eyes to make sure it wasn't a hallucination.

Surely enough, he was an existent person.

She dashed out the kitchen and thrust the door open.

It was challenging to see through the rain, but the illumination of the truck's headlights was approaching more rapidly. Kurenai stopped across the street from the man and wildly waved her arms.

"Hey! Are you alright!" she yelled.

The man didn't react nor did he acknowledge that he heard her. Instead, he continued to take strides across the road

Kurenai looked to her left to see the truck heading towards the stranger. Then she looked back at the man with wide eyes.

"Stay back or you're going to get hit!" Kurenai screamed. The man paid no attention.

_Crap!_

Kurenai sprinted to the man with her outstretched arms.

Just before the truck hit the man, Kurenai grabbed him and heaved his body to the sidewalk.

She slid against the pavement on her side with the man in her grip. Her body collided with the wall behind.

Kurenai breathed heavily as she felt pain spread throughout her body. Her red shirt was ripped; her arm and ribs had deep scrapes on them. Kurenai could feel her legs throbbing with soreness. There were a million stars encircling her head as she felt the rush of icy raindrops down her cheek.

When she sensed the man's breath within her embrace, Kurenai peeked down at his head, which was buried in her stomach. Whenever she took breath, his head moved with the same motion of her stomach.

He slowly raised his head and connected his eyes with Kurenai.

The man had a piece of black cloth concealing the lower features of his face. A lone, piercing black orb gazed at her, and his glistening silver hair hid his other eye. Kurenai took her hand and carefully brushed the tresses out of his face. It exposed a crimson eye, darker than hers, that had a cut between his upper lid to beneath the eye.

He observed her face expressions with fierce intensity, and his breathe could be heard from beneath the mask.

The rain continued to gush on them. They both stayed in their positions. Her arms around his body, and his body on hers.

Kurenai gradually felt awkward.

'Not the most comfortable situation...but oh well...'

Ignoring the pain, she began to sit up. She held on the man tightly, not letting him fall from her arms. Kurenai looked at his side, where he was pressing his hand on.

There was a puddle of dark blood forming from his wound onto her shirt. Kurenai looked at his eyes, which were slowly drooping with slumber.

"Are you ok?" she asked. The man suddenly looked alert and gave her a sharp stare.

He stood up, not showing any pain from the injury..

"Thank you." It sounded forceful and husky.

With that, he sprinted down the street and disappeared from Kurenai's sight.

Kurenai slowly rose, inhaling and exhaling oxygen in and out of her lungs. It seemed virtually surreal and bizarre that the whole incident ever occurred.

When she returned to her house, Kurenai swiftly hurried herself into a bath with candles surrounding the tub.

As she cleansed her body from the rain and dirt, Kurenai found it unusual how in just a day, she has been in contact with two enigmatic men.

'It doesn't feel like a coincidence, but more like I _had_ to meet them...'

After feeling calm and clean, Kurenai raised her body from the tub and bandaged her wounds firmly.

Dressed in a black t-shirt and red pajama pants, Kurenai returned to the kitchen.

As she took small steps because of the pain, she walked onto the documents of the folder. Kurenai examined the last part where she did not complete reading.

**Name: Hatake Kakashi**

**Age: 25**

**Height: 5'11" **

**Weight: 149LBS**

**Blood type: O**

**Birthday: September 15th**

**Description: silver-white hair, one red eye; one black eye, wears mask**

**Known for: Sharingan - red eye (ability to hypnotize), fighting skills**

**Past: Not available**

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Kurenai's eyes widened.

Shiranui and Hatake sound like the two men from tonight...

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So...how do you think of the story so far? Should I continue or not?

**Constructive criticism,** suggestions and reviews are highly appreciated!


	3. Hajimeru: Commence

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Summary**: Between love and duty, an undercover agent finds herself caught in a dangerous game between three notorious gang leaders of Konoha. Alternate universe.

Kakashi. Asuma. Genma. x Kurenai.

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**Shoot Me Down**

**By: kamenbutoukai**

**Chapter 3 - Commence / Hajimeru**

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Kurenai staggered towards the entrance of the only coffee place she ever went to, which was called _Cafe Spot._

There were dark bags beginning to grow underneath her fatigued eyes. Her rosy lips were set in a tight, grim line, and her wild hair gave a frantic appearance. She bent her shoulders forward with hands shoved into the pockets of her gray jacket. Her head dipped with each stride, and each strained step was dragged across the pavement.

Her baggy, denim pants had rips on each side of her legs, and her white shirt looked a bit too big for her.

It was almost as if a gloomy cloud hovered on top of her head and spat several times.

But the hollering of people forced Kurenai out of her miserable thoughts.

The past few days were just too much to handle.

Were Shiranui and Hatake the two men she was assigned to? And what about Sarutobi? Wasn't he supposed to be with them if those two people _were _the gang leaders?

Her fingers enclosed around the steel handle of the door, and she put some effort in pulling it open.

There was no one else in the cafe, except maybe a few construction workers.

Kurenai walked up to the line and looked up to the menu.

The man taking orders had his back facing against her as he made some donuts.

"Excuse me?" Kurenai sounded like a croaking frog.

The man turned around. But halfway during that process, his heart almost stopped.

"May I take...y-your o-order?"

Kurenai looked up to see the man with his eyes wide with dread. He had a forced smile, and his shoulders were apparently shaking.

"Yuuhi-san...w-what happened to you? You d-don't look s-so good," he stammered with a small voice.

Kurenai blinked her eyes a few times, clearing the blurry image of the man's face.

"I didn't get a good night sleep last night."

"Oh...that's it? You don't need to look menacing like that. I thought you were going to shoot me or something," the man said with a more confident tone.

Kurenai looked at her apparel and reflection on the glass counter. Then she rested her gaze onto the man in front of her.

"Do I look that bad Iruka-san?" she asked.

Iruka shook his head and grinned.

"You look like you."

Kurenai gave a careless smile and ran a hand through her shadowy tresses.

"I'd like a green tea with the tea-bag in, to go please."

"Coming right up."

The crimson-eyed woman leaned against the counter with a fist supporting her chin up.

"What are you doing here so early in the morning anyways Yuuhi-san? It's only 6:30!" Iruka asked.

"I got an important assignment from Morino yesterday. So I have to get ready today."

Iruka stirred the tea with a coffee stick.

"But I thought you were supposed to get a break sometime now."

Kurenai shrugged.

"Here you go. No need to pay for it. It's on me since you've been working so hard," he said

"Thanks Iruka-san."

Iruka nodded and continued to place pastries in the trays.

Kurenai took the cup and sipped it along her way out the cafe. The tea relaxed her muscles and the strain in her brain from all the thinking.

As she looked around her surroundings, Kurenai began to realize how much influence gangs put on this city.

It was dirty. The streets were dirty. Houses and buildings appeared as though they were going to collapse any minute. There were no trees or flowers to call Konoha a beautiful place. The ground had cracks in them, and if one looked close enough, they could see bullet holes engraved in the cement.

The air was dull and it seemed to be polluted continually. Sunlight barely got through the clouds and rain, even though it was the middle of summer.

Sirens were constantly resonating throughout the homes of people, and there were frequent gang fights that broke through the communities and bars.

People threw their futures away to become a part of a mere gang, only to be shot dead the moment they are considered no longer needed.

Everything was based on rank. If an individual was part of a gang, then they would live like kings until they breathed their last breath. However, if they were simply a normal citizen with no status, but a normal job, it would be complicated for them just to make a living.

In Konoha, gangsters were admired and cops were scorned.

Homeless people sat in corners of buildings with no hope. Families barely had food to bring onto their tables. Education was no longer a big concern for the future of teenagers.

Women were considered a mere doll for men to play around with. They had no position, even if they had an occupation like a doctor or an agent. It didn't matter. Men had the power.

Kurenai sighed wearily.

When she returned home, Kurenai looked around the house. She brought all her belongings and clothes out to the backyard. All her memories and past mission reports were added to the pile. She stopped in her living room, and took her jacket and books with her. There was an umbrella placed beside her couch.

It belonged to Mr. Rain.

Kurenai hesitated as she held it in her hand.

_'Should I keep it or not?'_

She shrugged as she took it along with her.

Kurenai brought out a container of gasoline from her garage and poured its contents over her possessions.

With one last glance, she flicked a match and threw it onto the heap. Black smoke rose into the air, and the bits and pieces of her life gradually vanished in front of her eyes.

Just before the fire died out, Kurenai pulled photos of her childhood and thrust them into the blazing flames. It seethed, but the fire completed its purpose.

Her past life has departed. Almost.

A photo of her family was clutched in her hands.

'Dad, mom and me.'

All she had now was a photograph, an umbrella, a folder, her badge and a gun.

Party time.

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"Yo Hayate, did you give Kurenai the cell phone yet?"

"No...-cough- what are you talking about?"

"I told you to give her the cell phone I made."

"No you -cough- didn't."

"Mou...this is so troublesome."

"...You didn't say anything about a cell phone."

"Well I guess I didn't…because I just found it in my pocket."

"…"

"…Give it to her when she gets to the apartment."

Shikamaru reached into his pocket and pulled out a slim black phone, and threw it towards the kitchen table. Hayate barely caught in his hands, since he was coughing at the same time.

"Why don't you just give it to her yourself?" Hayate asked as he peered at the cell phone.

Shikamaru laid onto the couch in the living room and sighed into a pillow.

"It's too troublesome."

Hayate's tired eyes somewhat scrutinized at Shikamaru.

"You're supposed to come with me."

Shikamaru remained silent as he stared at the ceiling.

"Do you know Sarutobi Asuma?

Hayate coughed a few times, and then thought carefully.

"Isn't he one of the gang leaders that Kurenai's after?"

"Yeah..."

"What about him?"

"He...Never mind. Let's go to Kurenai's new place."

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Kurenai left her home a while ago and just donated her car to a family in need of a vehicle.

'I'm done. Now I just have to go to my brand new apartment.'

She walked around the streets until she saw a tall building. At the corner of the street, there was a pole that had a small flag which read "Main Street."

Kurenai cautiously walked into the apartment building and became aware of the cameras at the entrance door.

It was a pretty new building, seeing that it didn't smell nor did it have any damage. It was sanitary!

Kurenai slowly walked up the stairs and found the door with the number '3' on it. She dug her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door.

It was a pretty standard apartment. Nice and comfortable.

The kitchen was the first thing she saw to her left. It already had an oven and a fridge. When Kurenai opened the cupboards, there were already cups and plates placed inside.

On the right side was the living room. There were gray couches and a television set placed on the right wall. Nearest to the balcony was a book shelf. The hallway to her right stopped at room.

In the room, there was a queen-sized bed with gray sheeting. A drawer, with clothes already full in them, was placed by her bed. The closet had apparel chosen for her to wear. There was only a small window, but it allowed at least some light into the room. There was a bathroom on the left side and a desk by the window.

Kurenai lips twitched. This brand new apartment was better than her previous house.

"Knock knock."

The man's voice drawled and sounded lazy. Nara Shikamaru...

"Come in! Door's not locked!" she hollered.

She heard the door open and close with people shifting their feet as they got their shoes off.

Kurenai walked out of her room and into the living room.

"Hayate, Shikamaru! What are you guys doing here?"

"Shikamaru and I –cough- have to give you equipment before you start your new job as a waitress."

Hayate handed her a black cell phone.

"I made it myself. So no one can trace your calls to headquarters. But I'm going to be listening to them, since you might be talking to any of the leaders using the phone," explained Shikamaru. "But only call us if you feel obligated to."

He took out a suitcase and unfastened it.

"This is an earpiece, where you can hear us communicating with you. And this bracelet has a mouthpiece, so you can be in contact with us. Only wear these when you are in the bar."

Hayate handed her a small black device and a silver bangle with a little red dot placed on it.

Shikamaru pulled out a miniature revolver and held it in his hands.

"This gun is as small as your palm. It is only needed when necessary. Never reveal to them that you are a sharpshooter or that you can use a gun," Shikamaru said as he gave it to her. "In other cases not involving the assignment, you can use your standard revolver. But don't get caught wielding it."

Kurenai remained silent throughout the process. She examined the petit gun and placed it in her pocket.

"Kurenai, you're going to have to give me back your badge," Hayate said. "We're not going to take any risks. They might find out that you're an agent."

Without hesitance, she handed him the badge.

"This is all we are going to do for the assignment, except to help you if you are in a tough situation. Otherwise, you're on your own," said Shikamaru.

Kurenai nodded.

"Gai wanted to give you some advice though," said Hayate. He coughed a small number of times before continuing. "He has been trying to catch Hatake Kakashi for a while, but it seems that even Hatake is too quick for Gai."

Her crimson eyes widened as the information traveled through her head. Gai was the fastest person she knew. This Hatake is faster!

"That's impossible! Maito-san is fast, and he never failed an assignment yet!" Kurenai exclaimed.

Shikamaru grunted with a shrug.

"Maito was never sent on an assignment to catch Hatake. He just tried to," explained Shikamaru. "Hatake is a quick person reasoning in intellect terms. So watch out for him. He likes playing games with people's minds."

Hayate nodded in agreement.

"Not only that, but he has the Sharingan which is a rare technique. He can hypnotize you. He can make you see things that aren't real. Be aware of that," Hayate warned.

"Thanks...I'll keep those points in mind."

Hayate grinned at her and Shikamaru only scowled.

"Sarutobi Asuma. Make sure he's under your sight. His appearances and tactics will deceive you," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "He's very troublesome."

"You've met him before?" asked Kurenai.

Shikamaru only sighed and shook his head.

"No...I just have a feeling."

Kurenai knitted her eyebrows together. Shikamaru did NOT just lie to her.

"Well, what about Shiranui Genma? Do you have any information on him?"

Hayate shook his head.

"No information on him. He's a genuine mystery."

Kurenai slowly digested the newly found information about her objectives.

_Hatake Kakashi is a clever man. Sarutobi Asuma is illusive. Shiranui Genma is an obscurity._

"We'll be leaving now. Be at _The Cell_ at 8 o'clock sharp, so you know how things work. There's lots of treacherous men there."

"Yes, I know Shikamaru."

"Oh, by the way, Tsunade picked out the apartment for you. She thought that you'd be pissed off, so she got you nice one," said Hayate.

Kurenai laughed as she waved them out of the apartment. When they left, she sighed and sat on the floor.

_What a pain..._

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"Yo Kakashi, how's your wound?" The man gnawed on a sharp needle.

"It's minor. But besides that, we should be a little more aware of the Akatsuki gang, especially the Uchiha."

"Yeah, tell me 'bout it. It was a good thing that we split up." He puffed on his cigarette, which created small wisps of smoke into the air.

"You should stop smoking Asuma. You might die of cancer earlier than you can die of a gunshot."

"I already know that."

"Che, I was just kidding man. Anyways, I met a hot chick yesterday in front of a convenience store."

"You think every chick is hot." He tapped the cigarette onto the ash tray.

"Shut up Asuma. You should find yourself a woman."

"Nah, my devotion will remain to my smoking."

The caramel haired man rolled his eyes and then looked over to the person with silver tresses.

"How did you manage to get away with an injury like that anyways, Kakashi? You seemed pretty beat up since the Uchiha aimed specifically at you."

"I don't know. I was losing a lot of blood...but I remember someone saved me."

"What happened anyways? When we found you, you were kinda all screwed up, like you were on drugs."

"...I don't remember much. But it was a woman, and she saved me from a truck that was about to run me over. It was all blurry. When I heard her voice, I was basically stunned. So I ran. That's all I can remember."

"...You ran from a chick?"

"Nice going Kakashi."

The man with chewing on the senbon laughed.

"She would have been scared anyways."

"Besides that, we should call up a meeting tonight at _The Cell_ with our other gang members. We need to think about dealing with the Akatsuki."

"You're right Asuma. Call up the other members and tell them to be at the bar tonight at 10:00pm."

"Gotcha."

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"Welcome to _The Cell_ Yue-chan! I think we're going to be great friends here!"

Kurenai's legs jolted a few times, and her shoulders somewhat shivered.

_The Cell_ was indeed a bar, but it could also be considered a strip club.

The uniform every female staff member wore was downright disturbing. It was consisted of a lacy black tank top and a pair of **very** petite denim shorts.

Kurenai pointed to the attire the cherry-haired girl was dressed in.

"Uh...do I have to wear that? Or can I fix it up **just** a little bit?" She gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her neck.

The young girl shook her head.

"Sorry Yue-chan. But Jiraiya wouldn't want to let down the gang with an employee who is overdressed," she explained.

Kurenai's eyes twitched a few times.

'Overdressed? I might as well go around serving drinks in a bra and underwear!' she thought furiously. Despite the irritation, Kurenai kept her composed facial expressions in check.

"Oh, by the way. My name is Haruno Sakura. You can call me Sakura."

"Ah...Sakura-chan. You can just call me Kurenai if you want."

Sakura gave a bright smile and grabbed her hand.

"You gotta meet the other girls here. They'll really like you!"

She dragged her into the dressing room where four other girls were beginning to get dressed into their uniforms.

"Hey girls, this is Yue Kurenai. She's new here!"

The young girls suddenly turned their heads at her with interest in their eyes. They all looked much younger than she was. Why would such young females have a job at this freaking strip club/bar?

The girl with straight, long blonde hair and azure eyes nodded her head in acknowledgement at Kurenai.

"Name's Yamanaka Ino. I've been best friends with Sakura since childhood," she said cheerfully.

A girl with two brown buns on both sides of her head got off her chair and punched Kurenai on the shoulder, and then took out a hand. Kurenai almost fell forward because of the punch. She's young but she's strong.

"Nice to meet ya, Kurenai! I'm Tenten. Sorry about the punch. I have a habit of punching people at random times," she said.

'Wow. This girl was like me in high school,' Kurenai thought as she shook hands with Tenten.

"And my name is Sabaku Temari," called a voice from behind.

It was another blonde-head. But she had four ponytails sticking out, and she had a grin on her face. She waved her hand and continued getting dressed.

Beside Temari was a navy haired girl sitting with her head down. The girl wore a different uniform from the rest. She adorned a pair of black slacks with a button-up blouse and a black tie. She poked for fingers a while, and her feet shuffled from beneath.

"Don't be scared Hinata. She's not going to do anything to you," encouraged Temari as she retied her hair.

The girl looked up to reveal silver-white eyes. She stood up and bowed to her.

"It is m-my p-pleasure to meet y-you, Kurenai-san. I'm H-Hyuuga Hinata," she said in a shaky and hushed voice.

Kurenai bowed back and flashed a smile.

"So, are you all waitresses at _The_ _Cell_?"

"Yeah, we all are, except for Hinata-chan. She's the bartender. We can't exploit her innocence with these uniforms," laughed Tenten.

"It sucks being a waitress here, since you get hit on by the gang members. But you'll get used to it. Most of them are cute anyways," Sakura said with a blush.

Ino threw a mischievous look at Sakura.

"Thinking of your precious Sasuke-kun?" she teased.

"You like him too, Ino-pig!"

Sakura stuck out her tongue as she daydreamt about this 'Sasuke.'

"So uh, why are you guys working at place like this?" Kurenai asked trying not to sound suspicious.

"We all live together in a house, and we go to the same school together. Tuition is really expensive. So we decided to get a job here," responded Ino. "There's not a lot of days to work, but the pay is awesome."

"How old are you guys?"

"Everyone here is seventeen except for me and Temari-chan. We're a year older," Tenten replied. "How old are you Kurenai-san?"

"I'm...twenty-five."

"Wow, you look so young."

Kurenai softly laughed at them with a hand rubbing behind her neck.

Then suddenly, the door opened and a man with long white, bristly tresses broke in.

"Jiraiya, you shouldn't just go into a girl's dressing room like that," Ino complained.

"Ho ho, I am the great Jiraiya-sama. I can do what I want."

The girls stayed silent as they sweat dropped. He looked at Kurenai.

"Oh, you're Yue Kurenai, no? Tsunade sent you, right?"

"Uh, yeah. She did."

_He knows Tsunade?_

Jiraiya handed her the so-called 'uniform' and told her to get dressed.

"The gang is coming in ten minutes. Make sure you're ready."

They got dressed quickly and put on the necessary make-up. Kurenai, however, hesitantly put on the uniform and refused putting the cosmetics on her face. She was **definitely** still not used to any of that 'womanly' stuff

'_Damn you, Morino...'_

"Oh yeah, a word of advice Kurenai-chan. If they hit on you or touch you, try not to scream or freak out. Just blend in and coax him out of touching you," Sakura called to her from the counter.

Kurenai nodded as she put her dark locks into a high ponytail.

"And try not to be so stiff," said Ino. "Be...flexible."

Inside the dressing room, they could hear the bells of the door ring and the trundle of people entering the bar.

"Hey, you guys. Settle down and I'll get the girls out for you," they heard Jiraiya state.

"Oh right Ero-sennin! You're such a great man! Bring a lot of drinks for me and make sure you cook a lot of ramen too!"

The voice of this man sounded **extremely** loud. It could practically shatter someone's eardrums.

"Shut up, dobe," another man muttered.

"What? You want to fight, Sasuke-teme? I'll give a black eye right now!"

Sasuke was the one both Sakura and Ino liked...was he not?

"Both of you be quiet. Naruto, there is no ramen at a bar like this."

"You want to fight too, white-eyes! Your ass is mine!"

"NARUTO! Behave yourself! I'm in charge of this bar. I don't want any shit fights here!" Jiraiya roared.

"Let's all sit down and enjoy ourselves, right guys?"

"We need to discuss about the Akatsuki afterwards too, Genma. So don't get wasted that quick."

"Hai, hai. Asuma-**sama**."

Hearing the two names made Kurenai's heart race. She didn't know why, but her pulse just suddenly increased rapidly. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, willing herself to calm down.

"Good luck Kurenai. The first day is always the toughest," Temari chuckled, interrupting her thoughts.

They all left the dressing room, leaving Kurenai alone. She made sure all the girls left, and then she raised her bracelet to her mouth.

"_The Unknown_ has entered the bar."

"Roger that," drawled Shikamaru's voice.

Kurenai hurriedly exited out of the room and strolled towards the counter where Hinata was making the drinks at one side, and where Jiraiya was leaning on the other.

She observed the other girls at their own tables making orders. And surely enough, they were being hit on.

"You're probably wondering how I know Tsunade, right Kurenai?"

Kurenai gave Jiraiya a glance with her crimson eyes.

"We were childhood friends. So basically, I had to let you work here. Tsunade would have beaten me up anyways. I know what kind of business both you and Tsunade are in. I won't squeal on you. I don't care about anyone here. Well, maybe except Naruto." He pointed to a bright, blond man with cerulean eyes.

Jiraiya gave her a serious look.

"I promised to let you work here in exchange you won't cause any of the members danger or harm."

Kurenai watched the Naruto kid recklessly chug alcohol down his throat.

"I'll make sure that I don't."

"Alright then. You have my trust. Make sure you don't break it."

Jiraiya abruptly changed his tone into a more lively tone.

"Kurenai-chan, I want you to serve the leaders' table. They can have a taste of women their own age," Jiraiya said. He pointed to the table at the far left corner.

Kurenai walked over to the table with a slight swing in her hips.

As she went, she caught eye-contact with a young man who had sharp red-eyes at Sakura's table.

'Those eyes look familiar...'

He continued to watch her, and then turned his head away from her.

As she approached the table, Kurenai made out that there were three figures seated in the darkness.

Kurenai stopped an inch away from the table.

Their figures were concealed in the dimness, but she could distinguish a glint of silver hair and a senbon. Chains of smoke raised around the table.

"May I take your order?" she asked in a sugary tone with a notepad in hand.

The three individuals lifted their heads to gaze at her, but the shadows made it tricky for her to see their faces.

Then suddenly, the glow of a candle flickered in the darkness.

The man seated directly in front of her was unmistakably the man from the raining incident. He sat in a casual position on the chair with his hands placed behind his head. He wore a black bandana over his caramel locks. The familiar man set a pleased expression on his face and a playful smirk on his lips. The recognizable senbon bounced at he chewed on it.

To the left of her, Kurenai identified the male from the truck accident. He had both elbows on the table with his fists supporting his chin. The lower portion of his face was masked with a dark piece of material. His silver tresses was no longer in his face, but still obscured the unusual single, scarlet eye. His knife-like black eye pierced through her eyes with attentiveness.

There was an unknown man who had his backside faced against her. Kurenai could hear him breathe out with strings of smoke following it. Spiked coffee hair stuck out from behind a navy bandana. He was unquestionably the tallest. His legs were spread out, and his heels touched the floor. The fingers of his hand expertly held onto a cigarette. He slowly turned his head to gaze at her with idle amusement in his shady eyes.

Shiranui Genma, Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma.

Objectives in sight.

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Hello...! Sorry for a late update. I'm so busy these days...-shakes head-

I know this chapter was kinda boring...-runs and hide- But I left a small cliffhanger! Yay for those. I'm still wondering if I should continue this fanfic...

This my first piece of writing I've ever done. I'm such a crappy writer.

**Queen Dopplepoppleous **- Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, I noticed that there wasn't a lot of Kurenai fanfics. So I thought I should create one myself!

**Chibi06** - Thank you for telling me about my grammar. It's not my first language, so my writing might be a bit awkward. Sorry if my grammar bothers you. I will try my best to make it better! I will take your advice into consideration .

**RurouniGochan **- Yay Kurenai fanfics! cheers Thanks for reviewing

**Constructive criticism**, suggestions and reviews are highly appreciated!


	4. Kiken: Danger

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Summary**: Between love and duty, an undercover agent finds herself caught in a dangerous game between three notorious gang leaders of Konoha. Alternate universe.

Kakashi. Asuma. Genma. X Kurenai.

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**Shoot Me Down**

**By: kamenbutoukai**

**Chapter 4 – Kiken / Danger**

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"…"

Both of her ruby eyes flickered to each of the men's faces. Slight anxiety increased as she felt the muted stillness of the corner in the bar.

None of them even bothered to answer her. Instead, they glanced at her with an array of various expressions written all over their faces. Just looking at them gave Kurenai a queasy and apprehensive urge to disappear from the spot.

She stood on the verge of her toes, ready to take off any second. They were just sitting there gawking at her like there was no tomorrow.

Kurenai resisted the urge to bring her nails to her teeth and chew on them.

'Did they already figure me out!'

Kurenai's eyes shot at the silver haired man. His black eye still punctured through her and his face was as deadpan as a blank sheet.

'He likes playing with people's minds.'

Hayate's words resonated in her head.

'So this is Hatake…' she thought.

_Why did he have to be the one from the truck incident!_

She gazed at the silvery haired man with equal fierceness in return, as if she was challenging him to some sort of staring contest.

He, however, didn't even blink nor seemed fazed that she was giving him a glare complete with killer intent. Instead, he shot up a delicate eyebrow towards her.

"It seems like you just made a new enemy, Kakashi."

Kurenai looked over at the man smoking. He offered a laughing grin. He extinguished his cigarette directly onto the table and stood up to his full height. His silhouette emerged over her like a tower.

Kurenai found it quite difficult to maintain eye contact with him. However, she kept staring, even though she was unable to even see his whole face.

The tall man noticed her concealed struggle in attempting to keep a straight glare. He slightly bent down to the equivalent stature of hers and watched Kurenai's reaction to his behaviour.

All in all, Kurenai was taken aback by this act of generosity, considering that the typical gang leaders were cold blooded and despicable. Although the Morino described them as notorious, Kurenai found them rather considerate.

She kept her composed facial expression as the tall man watched her attentively.

"You've got pretty eyes there, lady. Almost like Kakashi's. But apparently, yours are attractive."

Kurenai blinked a few times and tried hard not to twitch.

Without a warning, the tall man was shoved into his original seat and she felt a figure sweep next to her side.

"Don't take her all to yourself, Asuma. After all, I met her first."

A hand covered her eyes, preventing Kurenai from discovering who it was. But she recognized that voice. Unaware of what was occurring; Kurenai felt warm breath against her left ear.

"The name's Genma. Remember me, sweetheart?"

A hand held her left hand and then ran up her arm. His fingers traced her jaw line, almost agonizingly. Kurenai didn't even realize that her pulse raced faster than before. But she didn't want it. Kurenai refused to fall for his tactics. She was an expert at this. She was supposed to counter their antics with her own.

Kurenai took her right hand and placed it on top of the hand covering her eyes.

"Please refrain yourself from touching me."

Surprisingly even to herself, Kurenai's words sounded daring and fierce. There was a brief silence before the sound of rich laughter poured into the air.

Although the blazing candle set a mere speck of brightness, it still burnt her eyes as she removed the hand from her eyes.

As they both stood there, Kurenai immediately remembered the incident that happened in front of the convenience store. In the same situation, both of them stared into each other's eyes and their hands were held in a grip.

Kurenai sucked in some air as she noticed the similar proximity between the two of them and also the fact that the other two gang leaders were watching them with enjoyment of some sort. She shook her hand out of the man's own hand and placed in it her pocket.

"May I take your order?" she said in an unsteady voice.

"Take your seat, Genma. She doesn't know you."

"Oh…I'm sure she does…"

Genma winked an eye at her before sitting down in his chair.

"Just get us three glasses of water."

Her copper eyes shot at the man who just spoke. His words were spoken in a faint, yet low manner. Kurenai nodded at the man, who still at that moment continued stare at her with his single black eye and hastily left the table, and amazingly, she did so without stumbling.

When she got to the counter, Kurenai felt a loud ringing in her head and her breathing was hard as if she ran three laps on a track under a minute.

"Are you ok?"

Kurenai looked up to see Jiraiya with a very pleased expression set on his face.

"What," she asked with a blank face.

"Nothing. Nothing at all…" His eyes twinkled with delight.

Kurenai scowled at him and turned around to face the pearl-eyed bartender.

"Hey, can you get me three glasses of ice water?"

But Hinata didn't seem to take notice of the order. Her concentration seemed determined on the sun-kissed haired man, Naruto. She flushed often and looked away. Kurenai smiled at herself as she watched Hinata watch Naruto tenderly. When was the last time she experienced young love like that?

Jiraiya waved a hand in front of her face though. This brought Hinata out of her dreamy trance and made her quite startled. Kurenai once again told her the order and she nodded. But as she started reaching for the cups placed in a cupboard, Kurenai could see that Hinata was blushing furiously.

"It's kind of odd that they only wanted water. Genma always has a thing for getting wasted."

Kurenai stared at him curious eyes.

"Why?

"He just likes getting drunk and making out with girls. He's a womanizer. And when he sees a challenge, he'll go for it." The glimmer in his eyes shone vividly. "But that also goes for Asuma and Kakashi. They're a bit…competitive. I must say though, Kakashi is a bit more fierce, and Asuma conceals his desires skillfully."

Kurenai turned her attention to the table where she was supposed to serve. The three men were grouped together, appearing like they were discussing in a serious conversation. Suddenly, Genma looked up at her and winked. Kurenai hurriedly switched her concentration to the other female waitresses.

Apparently, Ino and Sakura had something for the young man with scarlet eyes she was watching earlier that night. They kept stealing glances at him and they threw murderous looks at each other.

'Are they really best friends?' she thought as she caught them giving each other dirty looks.

It would have gotten messy if they were serving the same table. Sakura was serving the boy, while Ino was serving a different table next to Sakura's. It was quite amusing to see Ino 'accidentally' brushing against the man's side.

Kurenai looked over at Tenten's table. She watched Tenten closely and noticed that she was trying to avoid eye contact with the man she was serving. The man who sat there had long coffee hair which was held back by a low ponytail.

She studied him with suspicion. From the looks of it, he had some interest in Tenten because the stare that was pointed to her face did not waver a bit nor did he blink even once. As Kurenai continued to watch him intently, he turned his head at her and raised an eyebrow. They both attentively examined each other, looking for possible signs of threat.

When she looked at his eyes, Kurenai almost knitted her eyebrows together. Fortunately, she didn't. His eyes, however, were shockingly similar to Hinata's, but a deeper shade of a pearl-silver.

The eye contact broke after Tenten tapped on his shoulder to invite him in the conversation she had with another young man in the company of also a dog sitting atop of his head.

This man was also loud, by all means. However, he was not as deafening as the Naruto kid, who sat at Ino's table. Ino was apparently about to burst out in anger at the blonde man for spilling some beer onto her uniform. But of course, she was not allowed to do so to a customer and certainly not to a gang member. The sun-kissed hair man merely laughed it off and continued to have strange, little competitions with a barely audible man, who hid his face with the high-collar jacket and sunglasses he adorned.

Kurenai laughed inwardly and then looked at the table that seemed to isolate itself from the rest, other than the leaders' table.

Instead of entertaining them, Temari sat down at the table with a man with striking red hair and a man with intricate purple designs painted across his face.

It struck Kurenai to be somewhat odd for Temari to have a discussion with these people. She would just have to find out later. There were several things she still needed to learn about this gang.

Kurenai felt a hand on her shoulder, which broke her train of thoughts. On reflex, she held onto the hand and swiftly turned around, twisting the wrist a bit. When she was fully turned, she placed her other hand on the person's neck. But it was just Hinata, who seemed dumbstruck by Kurenai's actions.

Realizing what she just did, Kurenai hastily dropped Hinata's hand.

"Oh, Hinata-chan! It's just you! You scared me for a second there!"

Kurenai chuckled nervously as Hinata perplexedly stared at her.

"Um…I've been c-calling you for about…f-five minutes now. You d-didn't seem to hear m-me…" She let her voice trail off while she refused to connect her eyes with Kurenai.

"Really? I'm terribly sorry Hinata-chan. I'm just in my own little world here..."

Hinata nodded slowly as she slid a tray with three glasses of water towards her. Kurenai thanked her as she took the tray and walked towards the dreaded table once more.

They all slumped in their chairs as they observed her coming down the aisle towards their table. She stared at the tray as she placed the three cups onto the table. Droplets of ice water bit through her skin, but Kurenai ignored the coldness of it.

"Why don't you take a sit with us, honey?"

Kurenai raised her head a bit so she didn't seem rude.

"There is no reason for me to sit here," she responded calmly, despite the racing of her heartbeat.

"I'm sure there is. Genma wants you to sit here."

The man made a dance of smoke-wisps around her, while he dragged out a chair for her to be seated. She hesitantly sat down in the chair as she felt their eyes rip into her body.

"Name?"

Kurenai slowly raised her eyes to find the man who pulled out the chair for her leaning towards her with interest.

"…Yue Kurenai."

"Kurenai. It suits you. I'm Sarutobi Asuma, and I bet Genma has already introduced himself to you."

Kurenai turned her head to find the man named Genma waving his senbon at her and then blew her a kiss. She gave a smirked and then gazed forward to the masked man as she expected an introduction from him. However, it was silent between the group until he bent forward towards her.

"Hatake Kakashi."

Bowing just a bit, the gears in Kurenai's head started turning.

"Do you know who we are, Kurenai-chan?" asked Genma.

"Is there something I must know about you men that I have yet to find out?" Kurenai lied as she placed her chin on her fist and crossed her leg over the other. "I've just started working here."

Genma also leaned to her face and smirked.

"We may seem like ordinary people here…" He threw the senbon towards Asuma.

With the cigarette in his mouth held by his left hand, Asuma raised his right hand to reveal the senbon tightly secured around his index and middle finger. He took a puff and breathed out the fumes into the air.

"…But we're the leaders of a gang," Asuma finished. He focused his concentration onto the senbon and threw it at Kakashi.

Kurenai didn't even see a sign of body movement. But he sat there with the senbon twirling in his fingers.

"You guys shouldn't be throwing these things around randomly," he quietly said. Kurenai's eyes widened as he took aim at Kurenai. "It's a dangerous tool."

It seemed like time froze as he thrust the sharp object towards her. Kurenai didn't even blink when she felt it gracing by her cheek. The sound of a 'thud' was heard after it hit the wall on the other side of the room. But no one seemed to notice.

Kurenai looked at Kakashi with an incredulous look. She felt a large hand envelop her lower jaw and guide her gaze to her left.

Asuma had a smirk on his face and there was a perilous intent in his eyes that read if she dared to say anything against him, she would to pay for it.

"Looks can be deceiving, don't you agree?"

To her right, Genma gave a dark laugh and reached over to twirled strands of hair from her ponytail between his fingers.

"We are more aggressive than you expect."

It seemed like there were many pauses throughout that evening because they were once again in one of those silent moments where no one talked, but merely stared at one another.

At long last, Asuma removed his hand from her chin and continued smoking.

"But it's much more different with attractive women."

Kurenai felt chills go up her spine as the Genma finished his statement. The men looked at each other intently.

Indeed, it seemed much more different with women. But it also seemed much more dangerous.

"You may leave us now."

Kurenai nodded at Kakashi and got up from her seat.

As she walked towards the counter, she heard a clink of a cup and Kakashi announced that they start the meeting.

Jiraiya led them to a private room and closed the door.

It was quiet in the bar as the younger females cleaned up the tables from the glasses.

"Jiraiya! Why do I have to serve Naruto's table? He's so infuriating!" Ino whined. She glared at Sakura. "Why can't I serve Sasuke's table?"

Jiraiya only sighed and ignored her.

"HEY PERVERT OLD MAN! You shouldn't ignore me!"

"Ino…stop whining. Next week you can serve Sasuke's table," Sakura resignedly said as she wiped the table.

The other girls turned to look at Sakura with stunned expressions.

Tenten hurriedly ran towards her and placed a hand on her forehead.

"Are you feeling sick? Do you want me to get you some medicine?"

It was a mere joke to lighten up the mood, but it seemed to have made things much worse.

Sakura pushed Tenten's hand away and looked down, letting her hair hide her eyes. She stood there with shaking shoulders and then suddenly ran to the dressing room.

Temari looked at Ino, and then pointed her head towards the direction of the dressing room. Ino nodded in response and dragged her feet to the room.

Jiraiya cleared his throat loudly as he got the females' attention.

"After the meeting, the gang will be staying here for another half hour. Since Ino and Sakura won't be able to serve, I want Tenten to serve the leaders and Temari to serve the rest."

"…But what about Kurenai?"

"I want Kurenai to stay here and help Hinata-chan with the drinks because after the meeting, they're going to be asking for a lot of drinks." Jiraiya turned to Kurenai.

"I believe Tsunade told me you have had some experience with mixing drinks. Am I correct?" he asked.

Kurenai nodded as she remembered the assignment in which she had to work as a bartender. Shikamaru and Hayate were there too, but as customers. It was a success, but with many problems involved. It was quite complicated to satisfy the objective. After all, he noticed that the drink did not have alcohol, but poison as an alternative.

"Good. Temari and Tenten, finish cleaning up, and Hinata-chan, I want you to show Kurenai the places where all the drinks can be found."

After half and hour of setting up in silence, the door to the private room opened. The faces of each member seemed solemn as they each stepped out. But as soon as the blonde male walked out there, he threw fists into the air and cheered.

"It's time to get wasted!"

Hinata and Kurenai hurriedly made shots as Tenten and Temari came back with orders of alcoholic beverages. Hinata even accidentally broke a bottle of wine and Kurenai spilt a large amount of cocktails. Despite this, the four females had entertainment making mistakes, while the gang members had a strange idea of pleasure.

Despite the lack of care Kurenai put into making drinks, she always managed to put the precise alcohol amount in each drink somehow. Hinata seemed dazed at watching Kurenai make drinks with expertise far greater than her own.

"Hey Hinata-chan, can I ask you a question?"

Hinata looked at her as she wiped sweat on her forehead. She nodded for her to continue.

"You know that man there?" Kurenai pointed at the coffee haired man who stoically sat there, refusing any drinks offered by his companions. "Is he related to you? He has the same eyes as you."

Hinata looked around cautiously before acting in response.

"He's my cousin. There were some serious problems within my family. It's hard to explain…My father considered me a weakling and apparently, my younger sister, Hanabi, is a much more suitable successor to the clan than I am," Hanabi said, as she averted her eyes to her feet.

"I left the clan about three years ago and continued to study medical. My cousin held resentment against my family ever since he was a child, and he had already abandoned the clan. So when I moved out, he helped and let me live with him. He thinks it's not safe for me to live alone."

"So…you live with him, even though he's part of a ruthless gang?" Hinata closed her eyes and smiled.

"Neji is my cousin…Even though he's a gangster, I'm not that scared to live with him. I'm absolutely confident that he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my life or his own. After the first few days I lived with him, he wasn't too happy with me, since he hated my side of the family. But now, I feel we are close enough to be called siblings. Once you get to know him, he's just an ordinary person," replied Hinata. "Just overly protective."

"If you don't mind me asking…what is your family name?" Kurenai asked without sounding curious.

"I'm regretful to be called one, but we're from the Hyuuga clan."

"I see…"

There was a pregnant pause between the two of them. Hinata raised her head at Kurenai, which translated into that she wish to no longer talk about the issue. Kurenai nodded as she understood. They both carried on with the ordered alcohol beverages.

Kurenai took notice of a peculiar static in the room somewhere. But no one appeared to be aware of it

"Damn it Hayate! How can you mix up the wires?"

"Stop freaking –cough- out! It's your mistake for leaving so many colored wires in one spot…."

Kurenai piercingly stood up straight and searched around the bar. Where did those voices come from? Hinata twisted around from the tequila she was presently making to glance at her with concern.

"Is something bothering you, Kurenai-san?"

"Um…nothing, Hinata-chan," she replied as she knitted her eyebrows together.

"We're coming from your earpiece, woman."

As if a light bulb in her head just set in motion, Kurenai immediately remembered about the equipment she was given.

"Hinata-chan. Where's the restroom?"

"Just follow this little hallway. It leads you there. There only one restroom though. The waitresses would generally use the lavatory in the change room, but seeing as Ino and Sakura are in there…I believe it's better for you to use the public one," Hinata replied as she pointed to a corridor by the dressing room.

"Thanks…I'll be back shortly."

While finishing her tequila shot, Hinata nodded her head as Kurenai left to a hallway that guided her towards the restroom. When Kurenai entered, she locked the door and bent forward with her back against the wall.

"Way to come at a fine moment," she sarcastically said.

"You can't blame us. Hayate mixed the wires."

Kurenai took notice of a few punches and hushed arguments, and the repetitive phrase, "It's your fault!"

"It was Shikanaru's fault -cough- He arranged the wrong wires for me to connect," Hayate said breathlessly.

Kurenai heard a low murmur of "how troublesome" in the background. Hayate coughed a number of times before talking,

"Did you discover anything yet?"

"Mostly that these people are more like womanizers than people made up of a gang," Kurenai mumbled.

"Gangs gotta have that stuff. It's all about drugs, sex and money." Shikamaru whistled.

"…Besides that, I discovered just some minor things about the other members. There is one young man named Sasuke, who has raven hair and red colored eyes. Another suspicious man has lengthy dark, brown hair and silver eyes named Hyuuga Neji."

"Red and silver eyes? Abnormal people, don't you agree?"

"It is reasonably rare. But the Sasuke boy has eyes comparable to Hatake's Sharingan."

In the background, there were the clicks of the keyboard and added murmurs.

"There was a clan annihilated about ten years ago. It was called the Uchiha clan, and every single one of the descendants had a special eye skill called Sharingan. According to this information, Uchiha Sasuke is the only surviving person of the clan after the massacre," Shikamaru said. "Apparently, his older brother Uchiha Itachi was responsible for the massacre, and is currently in charge of another gang. Perhaps Hatake is related to them?"

Kurenai pressed her lips together.

"I'll check it out. What about the Hyuuga?"

"Not much information about them. But rumor has it that they were even stronger than the Uchiha clan. They also have a special eye technique called Byakugan, which surpasses the power of the Sharingan. You should watch out for him especially. The Neji boy left the clan because of some controversy involving the main branch of the family. "

"Alright."

Kurenai heaved a sigh as she massaged her palms together. She fixed your eyes on her reflection in the mirror.

"Well, now that I have had contact with them. What do you want me to do?"

"Just gain their trust for the time being. We still require the approval of some things from Morino and Tsunade. We can't be too intolerant."

"I'm leaving now. Over and out." She turned off the devices and sighed again.

Kurenai pursed her lips again as she retied her tresses into a ponytail. As she straightened her insufferable uniform, Kurenai unlocked the door and took a footstep outside the restroom.

Without a warning, Kurenai's body collided into another figure. Every part of it was vague to Kurenai, but she was convinced that she misplaced her footing and had already lost her sense of balance. Just before her head collided with the faucet, Kurenai became aware of a pair of slim, but muscular arms enveloping themselves around her waist.

There was the echo of breaths and footsteps. Just when Kurenai thought she was saved, she felt that something else more dangerous than smashing her head was standing right in front of her.

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First of all, I just wanted to sorry for such a late update. There were several problems going on with my internet server and my schedule with school is hectic. So in return for my tardiness, I managed to write TWO more chapters for all you guys who actually like my story! Enjoy!

kamen

**Constructive criticism**, reviews, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


	5. Chougenjitsushugi: Surrealism

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Summary**: Between love and duty, an undercover agent finds herself caught in a dangerous game between three notorious gang leaders of Konoha. Alternate universe.

Kakashi. Asuma. Genma. X Kurenai.

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**Shoot Me Down**

**By: kamenbutoukai**

**Chapter 5 – Chougenjitsushugi / Surrealism**

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The atmosphere was surely more daunting than she had ever imagined. There was something wrong. Her eyes remained tightly closed throughout the course of action, almost fearful of what or who was in front of her. Even so, she was anxious to find out.

Kurenai gradually released her orbs to find herself mesmerized by a pair of mismatched colors. The obsidian and scarlet irises imprisoned her mind and thoughts. Everything.

Without even realizing her actions, she raised her face less than a breath from his. As she gazed deeper into his eyes, their eyelashes fluttered against each other lightly.

His body curved forwards, nearly looming over her. He, in response, stared squarely into her burgundy eyes. He removed one of his arms around her waist, and vigilantly raised it to rest his hand against her silky cheek.

Within a solitary movement, he devoured her rosy lips with his own. He sought entrance, and she instinctively permitted him in.

There was undeniably an incredible, distinctive taste, and at the flavor of it, they both craved for more. His arms enclosed around her waist possessively, while she ran her hands through his silken, silver tresses on impulse.

He pushed her against the door, closing it, isolating themselves from everything else. He placed teasing kisses along her jaw line and continued its way up to her lips, consuming her sweet, addicting savor. It was violent, yet tender at the same time. As expected, however unexpected from a gang leader.

He lightly sucked onto her lower lip, and at long last, released her from his lock.

Kurenai was breathless by the time he freed her worn-out mouth from the satisfying kiss. The silvery-haired man tilted his head slightly at her, and licked the remains of her essence off his lips.

Kurenai's eyes widened a little, and she lowered her gaze as realization spontaneously hit her.

_What am I doing? I just kissed one of my objectives..._ she thought as thunder abruptly bolted through her.

She raised her head towards Kakashi, who still had his head slanted back. He removed both of his arms from his grasp, and he traced her lips thoughtfully with his fingers. He averted his eyes, and uttered a simple phrase before leaving the restroom.

"My gratitude for saving my life." As Kakashi turned his head from Kurenai, his lips brushed across her cheek. With that, Kakashi returned to the raging party taking place outside the hallway.

Kurenai stood in the same position, stunned by what presently took place.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it...This wasn't suppose to happen!_

She shook her head and washed her face, in attempt to conceal the color beginning to increase. Before returning to the bartending counter, she convinced herself that the kiss didn't mean anything, but a mere obligation by a gang leader for saving his life.

When Kurenai arrived, the bar was vacant, and the gang had already left. Tenten and Temari were carrying stacks of plates, while Hinata placed a large number of clean glasses back into the cupboards. Jiraiya stood by the counter, eyeing Kurenai with bizarre interest sparked in his eyes.

"What's wrong Kurenai?" he asked. "You look flushed…"

The other girls turned to look at her with curiosity and giggled to themselves as Jiraiya's statement was confirmed. Kurenai merely shrugged her shoulders.

"It was getting hot, and making drinks isn't as easy as you think," she replied calmly. But the racing of heartbeat could have told a different story.

"So what do you think of the gang leaders?" he questioned roguishly. "They're quite unique, don't you agree?"

"…" Kurenai scowled at him and helped placing the plates into a sink. "I admit that they're rather interesting."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow with awareness.

"Oh? I believe that they're reasonably attracted to you."

He laughed to himself playfully. Kurenai simply ignored his words as she continued to clear the tables.

"Are Sakura and Ino still in the change room?" Tenten asked as she approached Hinata. Temari placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

"They probably are," Temari said.

The small group continued to clear the bar in silence. Sakura and Ino came out of the change room after the others finished their tasks with the tables and dishes. Jiraiya allowed them to leave at that moment, and Kurenai and the three other girls proceeded to the change room.

Kurenai was quite relieved to rip her uniform off of her, and she would rather stick to her cargo pants and long-sleeved shirt. She said her goodbyes to the group and left the change room. Before she departed from the entrance, Jiraiya told her that he would call her if there was any work the next day.

"But I doubt there will be any work. After all, they rarely come here."

She nodded indifferently and left the bar after a day of tiring work. The night was rather getting cold, and yet again, Kurenai did not have a jacket to wear. She swore under her breath as she pulled out her cell phone. Kurenai pushed in a few numbers and waited for someone to pick up.

"Shikamaru speaking."

"Yo, there is something wrong with this gang," Kurenai moaned as she began her way home.

"How can you say that so suddenly? It's only the first day after all," Shikamaru replied. She turned onto her right.

"They don't even act like a gang. This is a complete waste of time," she said. "They seem like a bunch of wannabe gang people. They don't look like a full gang either."

It was silent on the other end. For minute, Kurenai thought Shikamaru hung up, but she could hear soft breathing still.

"Even so, they're more dominant than they seem. Despite the fact that there aren't a lot of members, they are all talented people who can inflict greater damage than you can imagine. Trust me, I know."

Kurenai laughed softly as she continued towards a dark alley.

"So…did anything else happen at the bar?" he asked. Kurenai hesitated. Should she tell him about the startling kiss that occurred within the restroom? She shook her head.

"No, nothing. It was like a reunion kinda thing. They were all just partying like a bunch of ordinary people," she responded. The hairs at the back of her head suddenly rose, and shivers ran down her back. She halted in her trek.

"I gotta go now Shikamaru. I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone and turned around. There was nobody. Kurenai instinctively placed her hands out in front of her and listened to her senses. There was nothing in sight. But there was definitely someone watching her.

"Show yourself, you stalker…"she murmured to herself. There was a rustle. Kurenai whipped around and threw a fist. It was caught in a strong grip.

"As you wish."

Kurenai's eyes widened as she saw a tall form emerged over her. She was in the alley, and there was hardly any light. She couldn't even distinguish the stranger's facial features.

"Who are you?" she asked harshly. He laughed as he clutched her fist tighter.

"If you want to know, beat me in fight." There was a sense of playfulness and mock in his coarse tone. Kurenai wasn't going to back down from a challenge. She smirked.

She gave a strong round-house kick and hit his side. The man let go of her fist and stumbled. Before he could even return an attack, Kurenai punched him in the cheek and hurled an uppercut to his chin. His body fell to the ground. Kurenai drove her right leg upwards and rapidly thrust it towards his stomach. But in an instant movement, the stranger managed to escape the deadly attack by rolling off to one side. Her foot hit the ground instead, but it left a deep blow in the solid cement.

He grabbed her ankle and pulled it towards him. But she presented to him a kick in the head while midair as she was falling towards the ground. Kurenai broke her fall and landed on her feet.

"Had enough?" she asked in breathless anticipation. Her ankle felt like it was starting to swell up. It felt like the damned man twisted it.

Startlingly, he stood up from his position on the ground and wiped his lip. There were a few cracks as he did a few adjustments with his head and shoulders. His breathing became visible in little, white clouds.

"Eager for more," he responded. With that, he bolted towards her with quick, running steps. Kurenai's eyes widened just before she dodged a severe punch. He punched the wall behind her, and little pieces of bricks fell onto her head. Kurenai punched him firmly on his stomach, and she sidestepped from his body. He chuckled and pulled out objects from his jacket.

Initially, Kurenai thought it was a gun, but when he set them onto his fists, she could see that it had razor-sharp points that could seriously cut through flesh. They fit perfectly on his knuckles, and he held them out before him hazardously.

"So we're using weapons now, huh?" Kurenai laughed as she pulled out her own weapon. A kunai. They were quite old fashion. Only ninjas in the past have actually used them. But the art of the shinobi have always been passed down through the generations of the Yuuhi's. Kurenai twirled it expertly between her fingers and held a defensive stance carefully.

"Come."

He came running towards her, thrusting his armed fists in any direction towards her. In return, she skillfully dodged each attack while moving herself backwards. There was several times where she narrowly avoided his attacks, resulting to a slower reaction.

As soon as her back hit the wall behind, Kurenai began taking the offence side. She slashed her kunai towards him, forcing the stranger to defend himself. Her steps went more rapidly as her attacks became fiercer. Finally, she managed to hit slice him squarely on the shoulder.

At the same time he stumbled on his feet, Kurenai's injured ankle cracked under pressure. She gasped at the sudden pain and fell to the ground. Her head hit the cement roughly and knocked the breath out of her system. Kurenai coughed a few times before turning her neck to look at her fallen opponent, who was lying a mere meter away from her own body.

His hand clutched the fresh wound she gave, which poured blood around him. He made no sound, however. There was no struggle, just silence.

Kurenai struggled to sit up, and just realized that there were several scratches on her arms. She grasped her ankle and tried to regulate her breathing.

"You're a tough lady after all," he randomly said. "I'd never expect some violence out of a woman like you."

Kurenai knitted her eyebrows together. Was she supposed to know him already?

"You were a difficult opponent as well," she said in a quiet tone. It was silent once again.

"Can you tell me who you are now?" Her voice cut through the stillness. She glanced at him from the side of her eye, expecting an answer.

He sat up without trouble, despite his injury.

"I'm surprised you don't remember, Kurenai." He turned his head towards her. "After all, it was only a few hours prior to this event when I met you."

Kurenai's eyes widened as she continued to stare at her opponent with a stunned expression.

_He's one of the Unknown? _

"But I'll just leave myself unidentified for you to find out soon." He stood up and left as swiftly as the wind. Once again, her encounter with yet another member of the Unknown seemed virtually peculiar and nonexistent. But then again, she should have expected that from them in the first place.

Kurenai laughed to herself as she pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the same number as before and waited for a reply.

"Hello. We've been waiting for you to call back," Hayate answered.

"Yeah, I just had an amusing incident occur right now. I'm currently in a dark alley near the bar. My ankle is injured and I'm unable to walk. So…you guys have to come get me," Kurenai said, almost embarrassed.

"What happened?"

"I'll explain after. Just come get me before I pass out here," she said tiredly.

"On our way." They hung up.

Kurenai laid her back onto the ground and closed her eyes.

_I should have never accepted this assignment._

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Shikamaru grunted as he helped carry Kurenai to her couch. Hayate locked the door behind them and went to the bathroom to get her first-aid kit. By the time Kurenai was placed securely on the couch, Shikamaru was out of breath.

"Man, I need to get more exercise," he mumbled as he took a seat across from her. Hayate came out and handed her the kit. Kurenai didn't like being treated by others; Hayate already knew that.

Kurenai took out a little bottle and spread the contents onto her ankle that reduced the pain, and then wrapped it tightly with a bandage. She grimaced as she wiped the scratches on her arms with alcohol.

"Do you mind telling us what happened?" Hayate asked with curiosity. Kurenai stopped her actions to look at them seriously.

"I was attacked by one of the Unknown," she solemnly replied. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's not possible that they have already discovered your true identity," he thought outwardly. "Did you give them any information that might have so?"

Kurenai shook her head.

"No. I haven't actually had a conversation with them yet. Just a few small talks, but nothing was released that could jeopardize the mission," she replied. "But my assailant was most definitely one of the Unknown."

"Do you have any details about him?" Hayate asked. "Appearances, behaviors, fighting techniques?"

Kurenai paused for a moment.

"He was tall, and was rather confident in his skills. But hand-to-hand combat was not one of his strengths. He used a weapon that could be worn around his knuckles, which would be used to injure his victims severely with punches and such," said Kurenai as she tried to recall all the possible details.

"A weapon worn on his knuckles? You should know who it is, Kurenai," Shikamaru said, leaning in towards her. "Sarutobi Asuma."

Her mind suddenly clicked in as she remembered within the documents she received from Tsunade, Sarutobi Asuma's recognized weapons were Knuckle Knives. Kurenai mentally cursed herself for her lack of attention and observation.

"But why would he attack me? I don't think there is a reason for any violence after just one encounter," Kurenai said.

They remained in silence, thinking of an answer for such a complicated question.

"He wanted to test you," Shikamaru said, drilling his eyes in hers for the first time ever with such force. "Sarutobi wanted to find something out, something about you. He knows that you're not just an ordinary person."

Kurenai's legs twitched.

"He most likely expected something from you. A challenge. Perhaps he wanted to see whether or not you were worthy of fighting over." Shikamaru continued to voice his thoughts in a stiff tone, but it seemed like he was no longer talking to Kurenai or Hayate.

Hayate knitted his eyebrows.

"What are you talking about Shikamaru?" Hayate asked, breaking the genius out of his trance. He looked initially surprised, but then he shrugged indifferently at them.

"I'm just thinking of possibilities here. But I guess we won't know anything unless we ask him directly, which we shouldn't do," he responded. "The best thing to do is pretend you don't know who your assailant was, and act like nothing happened. We can't risk anything."

Kurenai and Hayate agreed.

They helped Kurenai to her bedroom and returned to headquarters. Kurenai had some difficulties with changing and brushing her teeth, but she managed to do it all in the end. She placed herself onto her bed and stared outside the window.

_What will tomorrow bring?_

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A door creaked as it opened, and then closed. Heavy boots could be heard walking towards them. But the footsteps seemed sluggish and exhausted. He grunted a few times before coughing out some blood.

The other two immediately stood up and caught the man before he collapsed. They dragged him to the couch and laid him down. They instantly noticed the severe damage around his shoulder, which dispensed blood everywhere.

"Sarutobi…what happened to ya?" Genma asked with his eyebrows knitted together. "Were you attacked by Akatsuki?"

Asuma shook his head as he tried to control the bleeding of his injury. Kakashi ripped the shirt he wore and cleansed the wound with alcohol.

"I got my ass kicked by woman," Asuma replied through his clenched teeth. "She was one tough chick, I must say." He chuckled to himself.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him.

"By a woman?" he questioned. Genma looked at Asuma with interest, who confirmed the question with a nod. Genma roared with laughter as he placed a senbon in his mouth and Kakashi merely gave a blank stare.

"She would beat up you up too," Asuma growled. He bandaged the wound tightly and placed his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. "She's swift and specialized. Perhaps she has a background in martial arts."

Genma continued laughing until he ran out of breath. He slapped Asuma on the shoulder and scratched his nose.

"But you still got beat up by a woman," he said skeptically. "You're a gang leader for goodness sake! You still haven't mentioned who your female opponent was."

Asuma lit a cigarette and breathed in its essence, which calmed his senses. He grinned.

"The new waitress at _The Cell_," he responded. "Yue Kurenai."

After hearing this news, inquisitiveness flickered in Kakashi's eyes and the senbon from Genma's mouth dropped onto the floor with a clatter.

"Are you serious? She fought you after knowing you're part of a gang?" Genma asked incredulously. "She must be one crazy lady enough to challenge you and actually beat you in a fight."

"She didn't actually face up to me. I cornered her," Asuma said, releasing wisps of smoke into the air. "The woman didn't even know it was me."

"…How was she?" Genma asked mischievously. "Was she good?"

Asuma closed his eyes as strands of smoke from the cigarette danced.

"Incredible."

Genma smirked at Asuma as he muttered "lucky bastard" to himself.

"I thought you said you were going for a walk," Kakashi suddenly said. "There was nothing about attacking the new waitress we just recently met at the bar."

There was a rough force in his voice searching for a solid explanation. Kakashi almost looked irritated, but if he was, he hid it expertly.

"I was simply seeing if she was worthy enough of a challenge," Asuma clarified. "In any case, we wouldn't want to fight against each other for no reason."

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Kurenai suddenly sat up straight from her bed. Cold sweat rushed down her forehead and her breathing was erratic. The hammering of her heart was deafening in her ears and she looked around her room cautiously. The morning sunlight poured into her room, but clouds seemed to threaten to take over.

Kurenai glimpsed at her digital clock, which flashed 9:48 am at her. Hands trembled as she climbed out of her bed and walked to her bathroom. Instantly, Kurenai noticed that her ankle did not feel as agonizing as the night before. When she gazed at her reflection within the mirror, images of her nightmare dashed past her memory. Kurenai immediately looked away.

It happened so long ago. Why did she have to see it all over again?

She splashed her face with cold water and dried it. Each detail of her past was still etched into her mind. It was finally forgotten, but Kurenai knew that it would eventually reappear to haunt her. She would have to try again.

Kurenai returned to her room and quickly changed from her pajamas to a pair of dark grey sweat pants and a plain, large shirt. She tied her tresses into a high ponytail and put on her running shoes. With headphones in and her music bursting in her ears, Kurenai locked the door and left the apartment for a run with the umbrella she received from the rain incident.

'_I need to get it out of my head,' _thought Kurenai as she jogged towards the park. Her ankle was still injured, but she didn't care about the reoccurring pain. She just wanted it to all go away. It hurt so much that she felt broken.

Kurenai looked up to the sky as her thoughts wavered. When was the last time she cried? She shook her head.

'_Probably when **that** happened…'_

There were little drops falling onto her head. Her prediction was correct. It was going to rain. Suddenly, Kurenai collided in with another body and nearly fell over to the ground.

"Ouch…" a feminine voice quietly moaned. Kurenai looked down to see the cherry-haired girl she had met yesterday. She gazed up as well and her face turned red at the sight of Kurenai.

"Ah! Kurenai-san! I'm so sorry I bumped into you like that! I wasn't watching where I was going because I was looking for someone…" she repeatedly apologized.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan…I wasn't looking where I was going either," Kurenai said playfully. She helped Sakura up and held onto the umbrella she brought with her. "Did you say you were looking for someone?"

Sakura blushed and looked down. It reminded Kurenai of the timid Hinata, who nearly looked down and tried to avoid eye-contact constantly.

"Yeah…I'm looking for…" Sakura paused. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow as soon as the name came into the conversation. Ah yes...the crazy, loud kid.

"Why would you be looking for him?" Kurenai asked. Once again, Sakura averted her gaze.

"You already know that I…like Uchiha Sasuke. I asked him out yesterday at the bar, but he rejected me by saying that I was annoying," she quietly replied. "That's why I suddenly left to the change room last night…Naruto is one of my best friends, even if he does irritate me a lot. He found out what happened, and wanted to talk to me…"

"I see…But how do you know him?"

"Childhood friends, with Sasuke too. The three of us were great friends…until they both left me to join gangs. So we kinda drifted apart, but Naruto always kept in touch with me somehow," she replied. "But it seemed like…Sasuke always hated me since childhood. Since the massacre occurred…"

'Ah yes…the Uchiha massacre,' Kurenai thought. She was about to proceed into making Sakura tell more, but she looked quite depressed. Kurenai refrained herself from asking anymore questions.

"You should get going and find Naruto. He's probably waiting," Kurenai gently said. Sakura nodded and departed with a wave. As she placed her headphones back into her ears, Kurenai detected a two people who appeared rather strange.

By the pond, there was a large man, who looked more like a shark than a person. He seemed to be laughing to himself as he saw a few fishes within the water swimming past him. But strangely, there was sitting a young man sitting on the bench, facing her. His eyes were closed and the gentle wind played with his dark, long tresses. There was an odd resemblance between him and the Sasuke boy of the _Unknown_.

As Kurenai neared him, he opened his eyes and watched her walk past him. Kurenai tried to ignore the aggressive gaze he gave. There was something preventing her from doing so, however. He had them. The Sharingan.

And everything went black.

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WTF! Such a bad ending for a chapter, I know already! Please bare my crappiness! Don't flame about it. I'd just like to thank all of those who actually bothered to read this fanfic of mine. I'm very surprised to see some people have this story under their favourites and alerts. Thank you all, you guys are the reason why I'm still continuing this fic! Hope you enjoyed this chapter… and don't do drugs!

kamen

**Constructive criticism**, reviews, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


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